Device and method for providing visual perceptual training

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a device for providing visual perceptual training including an output module and a controller that controls the output module such that the output module outputs an instruction message informing a trainee of a rule related to visual perceptual training, provides a training session for the visual perceptual training, and stores a result in the training session for evaluating cognitive ability of the trainee, wherein the controller may, in the training session, control the output module such that the output module sequentially displays visual objects, check a type of a response of the trainee, determine whether the checked response is correct according to the rule including the first condition and the second condition based on the attribute of the visual object, the display order of the visual object, and the type of the checked response, and output a feedback indicating that the checked response is correct.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of International PatentApplication No. PCT/KR2021/002972, filed on Mar. 10, 2021, which isbased upon and claims the benefit of priority to Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2020-0031093 filed on Mar. 13, 2020. The disclosuresof the above-listed applications are hereby incorporated by referenceherein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments of the inventive concept described herein relate to a deviceand a method for providing visual perceptual training and moreparticularly, to a device and a method for providing visual perceptualtraining, which is for use in improving cognitive ability.

Interest in dementia, which mainly affects the elderly, is increasing asKorea became an aged society. Dementia refers to a state in which apatient's various cognitive abilities, including memory, are reduced dueto impairment of brain function or old age, and the patient is unable tocontinue his or her daily life. Currently, as a method for improving thecognitive ability of dementia patients, there are various methods suchas drug treatment, recall therapy, cognitive rehabilitation training,and visual perceptual training.

Visual perceptual training to improve cognitive ability stimulates areasaround the hippocampus of the brain, which is responsible for thepatient's spatial memory and cognitive functions. Through this, visualperceptual training improves the patient's cognitive abilities,including memory, based on brain plasticity. In this regard, there is astudy that reported that 30 elderly people improved cognitive abilitiesincluding working memory after visual perceptual training (Adam Gazzaleyet al. J Plos 2010).

However, the development of technology for providing visual perceptualtraining that is actually used to improve the cognitive ability of apatient is still insignificant.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the inventive concept provide a device and a method forproviding visual perceptual training using visual perceptual trainingthat requires a cognitive load.

Embodiments of the inventive concept provide a device and a method forproviding visual perceptual training using visual perceptual trainingcombined with navigation.

However, problems to be solved by the inventive concept are may not belimited to the above-described problems. Although not described herein,other problems to be solved by the inventive concept can be clearlyunderstood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an embodiment, a method for providing visual perceptualtraining for improving cognitive ability, the visual perceptual trainingbeing performed by a visual perceptual training device, includesoutputting an instruction message informing a trainee of a rule relatedto the visual perceptual training, providing a training session for thevisual perceptual training, and storing a result in the training sessionfor evaluating the cognitive ability of the trainee, wherein theproviding of the training session includes sequentially displayingvisual objects, checking a type of a response of the trainee,determining whether the checked response is correct according to therule including a first condition and a second condition based on anattribute of the visual object, a display order of the visual object,and the type of the checked response, and outputting a feedbackindicating that the checked response is correct, wherein the firstcondition is to provide an identification task to the trainee in thetraining session, and request, from the trainee, a first response whenthe visual object having a first attribute is displayed and a secondresponse when the visual object having a second attribute is displayed,wherein the second condition is to provide a cognitive task togetherwith the identification task such that the training session requests acognitive load from the trainee, and when the order of the displayedvisual objects is a predetermined number, request a third response fromthe trainee, and wherein the second condition have a higher prioritythan the first condition.

The first response and the second response may be a first type of userinput and a second type of the user input, and the third response may beabsence of the user input.

The attributes of the visual object may include at least one ofexistence or absence, contrast, size, shape, color, display time,brightness, movement, rotation, pattern, and depth.

The visual object may be related to a Gabor patch.

The predetermined number may include at least one of a multiple of N, anumber that is not the multiple of N, a number whose remainder is M whendivided by N, a number whose remainder is not M when divided by N, anumber whose last digit is the multiple of N, a number whose last digitis not the multiple of N, and any one of three different numbers whoselast digit is less than 10, N may be a natural number greater than 2,and M may be a natural number different from N.

The training session may be provided in a background image comprising avirtual vehicle for navigation and a virtual road.

The first response may be related to movement of the vehicle in a firstorientation, the second response may be related to movement of thevehicle in a second orientation and the third response may be related tomovement of the vehicle in a third direction. The training session mayrequest an additional response related to movement of the vehicle. Thebackground image may include an obstacle that prevents the movement ofthe vehicle and, the additional response may be related to steering thevehicle such that the vehicle is not to collide with the obstacle.

According to an embodiment, the inventive concept further include acomputer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing themethod of providing visual perceptual training according to theinventive concept in combination with a computer which is hardware.

According to an embodiment, a device for providing visual perceptualtraining includes an output module and a controller that controls theoutput module such that the output module outputs an instruction messageinforming a trainee of a rule related to visual perceptual training,provides a training session for the visual perceptual training, andstores a result in the training session for evaluating cognitive abilityof the trainee, wherein the controller may, in the training session,control the output module such that the output module sequentiallydisplays visual objects, check a type of a response of the trainee,determine whether the checked response is correct according to the ruleincluding a first condition and a second condition based on an attributeof the visual object, a display order of the visual object, and the typeof the checked response, and output a feedback indicating that thechecked response is correct, wherein the first condition is to providean identification task to the trainee in the training session, andrequest, from the trainee, a first response when the visual objecthaving a first attribute is displayed and a second response when thevisual object having a second attribute is displayed, wherein the secondcondition is to provide a cognitive task together with theidentification task such that the training session requests a cognitiveload from the trainee, and when the order of the displayed visualobjects is a predetermined number, request a third response from thetrainee, and wherein the second condition have a higher priority thanthe first condition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device for providing visual perceptualtraining according to an inventive concept;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for providing visual perceptualtraining according to the inventive concept;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an instruction message informing a rulerelated to visual perceptual training according to the inventiveconcept;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for providing a training sessionaccording to the inventive concept;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing a first example of a training sessionof the inventive concept;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing a second example of a trainingsession of the inventive concept;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are diagrams showing a third example of a trainingsession of the inventive concept;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method for providing a navigation trainingsession according to the inventive concept;

FIGS. 12 to 14 are diagrams regarding background images of a navigationtraining session for visual perceptual training according to theinventive concept;

FIGS. 15A to 15D are diagrams regarding a fourth example of a trainingsession of the inventive concept;

FIGS. 16A to 16D are diagrams regarding a fifth example of a trainingsession of the inventive concept;

FIG. 17 is a diagram regarding sixth example of a training session ofthe inventive concept;

FIG. 18 is a diagram regarding a seventh example of a training sessionof the inventive concept;

FIG. 19 is a diagram related to a direction indicator used in an eighthexample of a training session of the inventive concept; and

FIG. 20 is a diagram regarding an eighth example of a training sessionof the inventive concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Advantages and features of the inventive concept and methods forachieving them will be apparent with reference to embodiments describedbelow in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However,the inventive concept is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below,but can be implemented in various forms, and these embodiments are tomake the disclosure of the inventive concept complete, and are providedso that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those of ordinary skill in the art,which is to be defined only by the scope of the claims.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the inventiveconcept. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising” are intended to specify the presence ofstated elements, but do not preclude the presence or addition ofelements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout thespecification, and “and/or” includes each and all combinations of one ormore of the mentioned elements. Although “first”, “second”, and the likeare used to describe various components, these components are of coursenot limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish onecomponent from another. Thus, a first element discussed below could betermed a second element without departing from the teachings of theinventive concept.

As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other implementations.

The term “unit, as used herein, means, but is not limited to, a softwareor hardware component, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) oran Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), which performscertain tasks. However, “˜ unit” is not meant to be limited to softwareor hardware. “˜ unit” may be configured to reside in an addressablestorage medium or may be configured to reproduce one or more processors.As an example, “˜ unit” may include components such as softwarecomponents, object-oriented software components, class components andtask components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures,sub-routines, segments of program codes, drivers, firmware, microcodes,circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, andvariables. The functionality provided within elements and “parts” may becombined into a smaller number of elements and “parts” or furtherseparated into additional elements and “parts.”

Further, in this specification, all “units” may be controlled by atleast one processor, and at least one processor may perform operationsperformed by “units” of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present specification may be described in terms of afunction or a block performing a function. These blocks, which may bereferred to herein as units or modules or the like, are physicallyimplemented by analog and/or digital circuits such as logic gates,integrated circuits, microprocessors, microcontrollers, memory circuits,passive electronic components, active electronic components, opticalcomponents, hardwired circuits and the like, and may optionally bedriven by firmware and/or software.

Embodiments of the present specification may be implemented using atleast one software program running on at least one hardware device andmay perform a network management function to control an element.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formalsense unless expressly so defined herein.

Spatially relative terms, such as “below”, “beneath”, “lower”, “above”,and “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description todescribe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) orfeature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in thefigures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elementsor features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both anorientation of above and below. Components may also be oriented in otherorientations, and thus spatially relative terms may be interpretedaccording to orientations.

As used herein, perceptual training refers to training to improveperception for stimulus through repetitive stimulus. In other words, inthe present specification, the visual perceptual training refers totraining to improve the perception for visual stimulus throughrepetitive training that provides the visual stimulus. Visual perceptualtraining should be broadly interpreted to include training to improvethe ability to identify objects from stimuli incoming from the outsidethrough the visual organ, as well as training to improve the ability todiscover objects from the stimuli.

As used herein, cognition means any mental activity or state related toknowing, and cognition should be broadly interpreted to includeperception, attention, memory, imagination, language function,problem-solving ability, and the like. In addition, as used herein,cognitive ability means a wide range of intellectual activity abilitiesrequired to perform all kinds of tasks ranging from simple to complex,and should be broadly interpreted to include memory, attention,imagination, language skills, problem-solving skills, judgment, learningskills, computational skills, spatial perception and comprehension, andthe like.

As used herein, the expression “task” may refer to a goal and/or purposeto be achieved by a user. For example, a computerized task may berendered using computerized components, and a user may be instructed asto a goal or purpose for performing the computerized task. A task mayrequire an individual to provide or withhold a response to a particularstimulus.

As used herein, the expression “session” may refer to a time period,having a beginning and an end, during which a user interacts with adevice to receive treatment from the device. For example, a session maybe 1 second, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 1 hour, 12 hours, a day, a week, amonth, or the like. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosurewill be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device for providing visual perceptualtraining according to an inventive concept;

Referring to FIG. 1 , a device 100 may include an output module 1100, aninput module 1200, a memory 1300, a communication module 1400, and acontroller 1500.

According to an embodiment, the device 100 may provide perceptualtraining for improving the cognitive ability of a trainee.

The sensory regions of the cerebral cortex receive and process signalsfrom sensory organs including body sensory such as touch and pain, andsight, hearing, taste, and smell to allow the sensory to be recognizedand perceived. When there is a problem in one of these pathways,perception of a relevant sensory may become impossible. Specifically, inthe process of a person's recognition of a sensory stimulus (e.g., avisual stimulus), a sensory stimulus (e.g., a visual stimulus) is inputto a sensory organ (e.g., an eye) to perform sensation, and the sensoryarea of the cerebrum (e.g., the visual cortex) performs perception toperform the recognition of deriving meaning by associating sensoryrepresentations (e.g., visual representations) with memoryrepresentations.

This sensory information is converted from short-term memory tolong-term memory by the hippocampus, which plays an important role inlearning and memory in connection with human cognitive ability.Specifically, the hippocampus processes intellectual, emotional, andfactual information, and stores sensory information received from thesensory cortex for a short period of time, then transfers the sensoryinformation to other parts of the brain and stores the sensoryinformation as long-term memory or deletes the sensory information. Thatis, the hippocampus has close brain connectivity with the sensory cortex(e.g., the visual cortex).

Accordingly, as a method for improving a person's cognitive ability, amethod of continuously stimulating the hippocampus by continuouslyproviding sensory stimulation may be used. Specifically, based on theclose brain connection between the hippocampus and the sensory cortex,when a person performs perceptual training in which sensory stimuli arecontinuously given, the hippocampus itself or its surroundings arecontinuously stimulated, and thus cognitive ability can be improved.Accordingly, the device 100 according to an embodiment may improve thecognitive ability of the trainee by providing perceptual training (e.g.,visual perceptual training).

Hereinafter, for convenience, the device 100 provides a training sessionfor visual perceptual training, but the device 100 provides a trainingsession for auditory perception training, tactile perception training,etc. using other sensory stimuli. For example, for perceptual training,the device 100 does not display a visual object that is a visualstimulus, but a perceptual stimulus including at least one of a visualstimulus, an auditory stimulus, a gustatory stimulus, a tactilestimulus, and an olfactory stimulus. Here, each perceptual stimulus mayhave a specific attribute.

In the present specification, a specific attribute related to a stimulusmay mean characteristics that the stimulus may have. For example, theattribute of the auditory stimulus may include at least one ofintensity, speed, pitch, rhythm, and length of sound.

The device 100 may include various devices capable of performingcomputational processing. For example, the device 100 may include adesktop PC, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, personaldigital assistants (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), a slatePC, a tablet PC, an ultrabook, a wearable device, and the like.

According to an embodiment, the deice 100 may be worn on any part of thebody and used in such a way that the output module 1100 faces a user'seyes. For example, the device 100 may include a head mounted device,such as a head mounted display (HMD) mounted on a user's head to displaya video, smart glasses, and smart goggles, or a display device such as amobile phone used while mounted on a head-mounted device, or the like.

The output module 1100 may output a video or an image. For example, theoutput module 1100 may include an LCD, an OLED, an AMOLED display, andthe like. Here, when the output module 1100 is provided as a touchscreen, the output module 1110 may perform the function of the inputmodule 1200. In this case, the separate input module 1200 may not beprovided according to selection, and the input module 1200 capable ofperforming limited functions such as volume control, power button, andhome button may be provided. As another example, the output module 1100may be provided in the form of an image output port for transmittingimage information to an external display device.

Also, the output module 1100 may display an image for visual perceptualtraining of a user. For example, the output module 1100 may visuallyoutput a process before starting a training session, an instruction, animage for performing the training session, and the like.

According to an embodiment, the screen of the output module 1100 mayinclude a first display part corresponding to the left eye of a patientand a second display part corresponding to the right eye of the patient.Here, the first display part may output a first image, the seconddisplay part may output a second image, and the controller 1500 mayadjust the distance between the first image and the second image, thedegree of overlap, and the like to adjust the parallax, focus, or thelike of images provided to a user.

Also, the output module 1100 may output information to be provided tothe user in various ways. For example, the output module 1100 mayinclude a speaker, a motor, a haptic device, a vibrator, a signal outputcircuit, and the like, and may be a module that outputs various stimuli.

Also, the output module 1100 may audibly or tactilely output informationfor the visual perceptual training. Specifically, the output module 1100may output an alarm indicating the start and end of a training sessionin an audible or tactile manner.

According to an embodiment, the output module 1100 may output a stimulusfor other perceptual training (e.g., auditory perceptual training). Forexample, the output module 1100 may output, but not limited thereto, anauditory stimulus for auditory perceptual training Specifically, theoutput module 1100 may output an instruction message informing a rulerelated to auditory perceptual training and an auditory stimulus forauditory perceptual training.

The input module 1200 may obtain a signal corresponding to a user input.For example, the input module 1200 may receive a user input forperforming a training session, a user input for adjusting the focus ofan image for the training session during the training session, and auser input for receiving a user response requested by the trainingsession, or the like.

Also, the input module 1200 may include a keyboard, a key pad, a button,a jog shuttle, a wheel, and the like. In addition, the user input in theinput module 1200 may be, for example, a press of a button, a touch, anda drag. Also, when the output module 1100 is implemented with a touchscreen, the output module 1100 may serve as the input module 1200.

According to an embodiment, the input module 1200 may be configured as aseparate module connected to the device 100 wirelessly or by wire. Forexample, the device 100 may provide an image for the training session toa user through the output module 1100 mounted on and attached to theuser's head, and receive an input related to the training session fromthe user through the input module 1200 configured as a separate modulegiven to the user's hand.

The memory 1300 may store various types of data. For example, the memory1300 may store data related to a visual perceptual training.Specifically, the memory 1300 may store a program for executing atraining session, user information (e.g., user personal information, auser's response when the training session is performed, the result of auser's training session), cognitive ability test result, and the like.

Also, the memory 1300 may include at least one type of storage mediumamong a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia cardmicrotype, a card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), random accessmemory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory(ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)programmable read-only memory (PROM), magnetic memory, magnetic disk,and optical disk. In addition, the memory 1300 may temporarily,permanently, or semi-permanently store information, and may be providedas a built-in or removable type.

The communication module 1400 may communicate with an external device.For example, the communication module 1400 may communicate with a server(not shown). Specifically, the communication module 1400 may transmitdata related to a user's visual perceptual training to the server, andmay receive a personalized feedback therefor from the server.

Also, the communication module 1400 may perform communication accordingto wired and wireless communication standards. For example, thecommunication module 1400 may include a mobile communication module forBLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), Bluetooth, WLAN (Wireless LAN), WiFi(Wireless Fidelity), WiFi Direct, NFC (Near Field Communication),Infrared Data Association (IrDA), UWB (Ultra Wide Band), Zigbee, 3G, 4Gor 5G, and a wired/wireless module for transmitting data through variousother communication standards.

The controller 1500 may control each element of the device 100 orprocess and calculate various types of information. For example, thecontroller 1500 may output an image for the training session through theoutput module 1100. Specifically, the controller 1500 may output aninstruction message informing a rule related to visual perceptualtraining and a visual object for visual perceptual training on a screenthrough the output module 1100.

The controller 1500 may be implemented by software, hardware, or acombination thereof. For example, in hardware, the controller 1500 maybe implemented with a field programmable gate array (FPGA), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a semiconductor chip, orother various types of electronic circuits. Also, for example, insoftware, the controller 1500 may be implemented in a logic programexecuted according to the above-described hardware or in variouscomputer languages.

In the following description, unless otherwise stated, it may beunderstood that the operation of the device 100 is performed under thecontrol of the controller 1500.

The device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and theconfiguration of the device 100 is not limited thereto. For example, thedevice 100 may include a server connected to the device 100 throughwired/wireless communication to store data related to the user's visualperceptual training.

In addition, a function performed by each component of the device 100does not necessarily have to be performed by the corresponding componentand may be performed by another component. For example, although it hasbeen described that the memory 1300 of the device 100 stores datarelated to the user's visual perceptual training, a server connected tothe device 100 through wired/wireless communication may store datarelated to the visual perceptual training of a user.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for providing visual perceptualtraining according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the method for providing visual perceptualtraining according to an embodiment may include outputting aninstruction message informing a rule related to visual perceptualtraining (S1000), providing a training session for visual perceptualtraining (S2000), and storing the result of determination in a sessionfor evaluating the cognitive ability of a trainee (S3000).

According to an embodiment, the device 100 may output an instructionmessage informing of a rule related to visual perceptual training(S1000).

The rule related to the visual perceptual training may be a ruleregarding an identification task provided during the training session.For example, the rule related to visual perceptual training may be arule for identifying visual objects sequentially displayed and requiringa correct response from a trainee. Specifically, the rule related tovisual perceptual training may be a rule for requiring a first responsewhen a first visual object is displayed and requiring a second responsewhen a second visual object is displayed.

In addition, the rule related to the visual perceptual training may be arule for requesting a cognitive load from the trainee with anidentification task provided during a training session. For example, arule related to visual perceptual training may be a rule requesting atrainee not to respond to a visual object in a specific order based onthe order of visual objects sequentially displayed. For another example,a rule related to visual perceptual training may be a rule requesting atrainee to compare a displayed visual object with a visual objectdisplayed before a specific order.

It is noted that the rules for requesting a cognitive load from thetrainee are not limited to the above-described rules, and may be a rulefor requesting a cognitive load related to memory, attention, executivefunction, language, or the like from the trainee.

The controller 1500 may output an instruction message indicating a ruleto be applied during the training session through the output module1100. For example, the controller 1500 may display, through the outputmodule 1100, an instruction message including a variety of content suchas text, a drawing, and a video for describing rules to be applied tovisual perceptual training. The instruction message may be informationinforming of rules related to visual perceptual training, such asincluding a tutorial of visual perceptual training and including acorrect answer according to the user's tutorial performance.

It is noted that the device 100 may output the instruction message inanother method, such as a method of outputting an instruction messageindicating a rule to be applied during a training session in an audiblemanner through the output module 1100. In addition, rules related tovisual perceptual training may be different for respective embodimentsof a training session to be described later.

FIG. 3 is a diagram regarding an instruction message informing a rulerelated to visual perceptual training according to the inventiveconcept.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the device 100 may output an instruction messagedescribing at least one of rules related to an identification taskprovided during a training session and/or a rule for requesting acognitive load. A user may need to input a correct input inconsideration of the output instruction message.

For example, the device 100 may output an instruction message requestinginput “A” from a user when a Gabor patch with a horizontal pattern isdisplayed, an instruction message requesting input “B” from the userwhen a Gabor patch with a horizontal pattern is displayed, and aninstruction message requesting no response from the user when thedisplay order is a multiple of three. It is noted that the outputinstruction message is not limited to the output of a sentence as shownin FIG. 3 , and a variety of content such as a drawing and a video maybe output.

According to an embodiment, the device 100 may provide a trainingsession for visual perceptual training (S2000).

For example, the controller 1500 may provide a training session bydisplaying a visual object (e.g., Gabor patch) through the output module1100 for visual perceptual training of the trainee, and for requesting aresponse related to the identification of the displayed visual objectfrom a user. Here, the controller 1500 may request a response to a rulerelated to visual perceptual training from the user to improve thetrainee's cognitive ability.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for providing a training sessionaccording to the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a method of providing a training session accordingto an embodiment may include sequentially displaying visual objects(S2200), checking the type of a trainee's response (S2400), determiningwhether or not the checked response is correct based on a rule (S2600)and outputting a feedback indicating whether the checked response iscorrect (S2800).

According to an embodiment, the device 100 may sequentially displayvisual objects on a screen to provide an identification task to atrainee in a training session (S2200).

The controller 1500 may display the visual objects through the outputmodule 1100 and request a response for identifying the displayed visualobject from a user. For example, the controller 1500 may request aresponse corresponding to each of the displayed visual objects from theuser.

Also, the controller 1500 may display a visual object through the outputmodule 1100 and request a response for identifying a visual objectdifferent from the displayed visual object from the user. For example,the controller 1500 may request, from the user, a response thatidentifies an attribute of the displayed visual object, which isdifferent from the attribute of the displayed visual object. Here,another visual object may be changed based on rules related to visualperceptual training.

The visual object may be provided in various forms, such as atwo-dimensional form or a three-dimensional form. For example, the firstvisual object may include a character, a figure, a Gabor patch, or thelike, but not limited thereto.

According to an embodiment, the controller 1500 may provide the visualobject as a Gabor patch in which the orientation, angle, brightness, orthe like of the stripes are variously adjusted. For example, thecontroller 1500 may provide a visual object as a Gabor patch havingvertical or horizontal stripes. A Gabor patch is a patch using a seriesof differences of Gaussians (DOG) stimuli, which appear as blurredlines, as a pattern made of dark and light stripes in a desiredorientation and at a desired angle. In general, the Gabor patch istreated as patterns that are optimized to stimulate unused humanphotoreceptors. Therefore, the device 100 may improve the effect of thetrainee's visual perceptual training by displaying the Gabor patch.

Also, a visual object may have a specific attribute, such as rotating ina specific orientation. Here, the attributes of the visual object maybe, for example, but not limited to, contrast, color, size, displaytime, brightness, movement, rotation, pattern, depth, and the like.

For example, the visual object may be a Gabor patch having a specificattribute. For example, the attributes of the Gabor patch may be, butnot limited to, a pattern frequency, a pattern orientation, a patternwidth, a pattern contrast, or the like.

According to an embodiment, the device 100 may check the type of atrainee's response (S2400).

For example, the controller 1500 may obtain the trainee's responserelated to the displayed visual object from the input module 1200.Specifically, the controller 1500 may check what type of response theobtained trainee's response is. Here, each type of response maycorrespond to each displayed visual object.

For example, the controller 1500 may request, from the user, a responsewith a first type (for example, input of a left button of the inputmodule 1200) when a first visual object is displayed, and request, fromthe user, a response with a second type (for example, input of a rightbutton of the input module 1200) when a second visual object isdisplayed. It is noted that each type of response may correspond to anattribute of each displayed visual object.

As another example, the controller 1500 may obtain a trainee's responserelated to a given rule from the input module 1200. Specifically, thecontroller 1500 may check what type of response the obtained trainee'sresponse is.

Also, the types of responses include various types of user inputs, andthe absence of a user input may be one of the types of responses.

According to an embodiment, the device 100 may determine whether thechecked response is correct according to the rule (S2600).

The controller 1500 may determine whether the checked response iscorrect according to the rule based on the displayed visual object andthe type of the checked response. For example, the controller 1500 maycompare the type of a response corresponding to the displayed visualobject with the type of a checked response, and when the two types ofresponses are the same, determine that the checked response is correct.

According to an embodiment, the device 100 may output a feedbackindicating whether the checked response is correct (S2800).

The controller 1500 may output a feedback indicating whether the checkedresponse is correct through the output module 1100. For example, thecontroller 1500 may display a message, a video, an image, or the likeregarding whether the checked response is correct, through the outputmodule 1100.

As another example, the controller 1500 may audibly output a voice, asound, an alarm, or the like regarding whether the checked response iscorrect, through the output module 1100.

As another example, the controller 1500 may output various types ofvibrations regarding whether the checked response is correct through theoutput module 1100 in a tactile manner.

Specific embodiments of the visual perceptual training provided in stepS2000 will be described later.

According to an embodiment, the device 100 may store the result of thedetermination within the training session for evaluating the trainee'scognitive ability (S3000).

The controller 1500 may store, in the memory 1300, the result of thedetermination regarding whether the trainee's response in the trainingsession is correct. For example, the controller 1500 may store, in thememory 1300, the total number of responses, the number of correctresponses, the number of incorrect responses and the like in thetraining session.

The controller 1500 may evaluate the cognitive ability of the trainee.For example, the controller 1500 may evaluate the cognitive ability ofthe trainee based on the result of the determination in the trainingsession. Specifically, the controller 1500 may evaluate the cognitiveability of the trainee as being higher as the higher the ratio of thenumber of correct responses to the number of incorrect responses in thetraining session.

As another example, the controller 1500 may evaluate the cognitiveability of the trainee based on the difficulty of visual perceptualtraining in a performed training session. Specifically, the controller1500 may evaluate the cognitive ability of the trainee as being improvedwhen a second training session has a higher degree of difficulty eventhough the results of the first training session and the second trainingsession performed thereafter are the same.

In addition, the method for providing visual perceptual trainingaccording to the inventive concept may further include adjusting thedifficulty of visual perceptual training in the training session.

The controller 1500 may determine the difficulty of visual perceptualtraining in the training session based on the trainee's response. Forexample, the controller 1500 may increase the difficulty of visualperceptual training in the training session when the trainee's responsesto the visual object are correct or consecutively correct. For anotherexample, the controller 1500 may decrease the difficulty of visualperceptual training in the training session when the trainee's responsesare incorrect or are consecutively incorrect.

Also, the device 100 may switch screens providing the visual perceptualtraining to increase or decrease the difficulty of visual perceptualtraining in the training session. For example, the controller 1500 maychange visual objects to be displayed to increase or decrease thedifficulty of visual perceptual training in the training session.Specifically, the controller 1500 may change the attribute (e.g.,existence or absence, contrast, size, shape, display time, brightness,movement, rotation, pattern, depth, or the like) of a displayed visualobject to increase or decrease the difficulty of visual perceptualtraining in the training session.

According to the inventive concept, the controller 1500 may adjust thedifficulty of visual perceptual training in the training session bychanging the contrast of the displayed visual object. For example, thecontroller 1500 may increase the difficulty of visual perceptualtraining by lowering the contrast of the displayed visual object.

According to the inventive concept, the controller 1500 may adjust thedifficulty of visual perceptual training in the training session bychanging the size of the displayed visual object. For example, thecontroller 1500 may increase the difficulty of visual perceptualtraining by decreasing the size of the displayed visual object.

According to the inventive concept, the controller 1500 may adjust thedifficulty of visual perceptual training in the training session bychanging the display time of a visual object. For example, thecontroller 1500 may increase the difficulty of visual perceptualtraining by decreasing the display time of the visual object.

Of course, the device may adjust the difficulty of visual perceptualtraining in the training session in various methods such as changing thebrightness, saturation, and size of a screen that provides visualperceptual training, or changing the number of displayed visual objectsto adjust the difficulty, without being limited to the above-describedmethod. For example, the device 100 may increase the number of displayedvisual objects to increase the difficulty of visual perceptual trainingin the training session.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of a training session for visualperceptual training provided by the device 100 will be described.

First Example

Hereinafter, a first example of a training session provided by thedevice 100 will be described.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing a first example of a training sessionof the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the device 100 may display a visual object in atraining session according to a first example and request various typesof responses according to a rule.

The rule related to visual perceptual training in the training sessionaccording to the first example may include a first condition and asecond condition. Accordingly, a trainee may need to input a correctresponse according to the visual perceptual training based on the firstcondition and the second condition.

The first condition is to provide an identification task to the traineein the training session, wherein the trainee is requested to identify adisplayed visual object, and input a correct response according to thefirst condition.

The first condition may be a condition for requesting a first responsefrom the trainee when the device 100 displays a visual object having afirst attribute. For example, when the device 100 displays a Gabor patchhaving a horizontal pattern orientation, the first condition may be acondition for requesting a first type of user input (e.g., the input ofthe left button of the input module 1200) from the trainee.

Also, the first condition may be a condition for requesting a secondresponse from the trainee when the device 100 displays a visual objecthaving a second attribute. For example, when the device 100 displays aGabor patch having a vertical pattern orientation, the first conditionmay be a condition for requesting a second type of user input (e.g., theinput of the right button of the input module 1200) from the trainee.

The second condition is to provide a cognitive task along with anidentification task such that the training session requests a cognitiveload from the trainee, the trainee may need to remember the order of thedisplayed visual objects and input a correct response according to thesecond condition. The second condition may have a higher priority thanthe first condition.

The second condition may be a condition for requesting a third responsefrom the trainee when the order of the visual objects sequentiallydisplayed by the device 100 is a predetermined number. For example, thedevice 100 may request the absence of user input from the trainee whenthe order of sequentially displayed Gabor patches is a multiple of 3. Itis noted that the type of response requested by the device 100 may bechanged according to rules related to visual perceptual training, suchas requesting a third type of user input, instead of requesting theabsence of user input from the trainee.

Also, the predetermined number of the second condition may be a resultvalue according to a simple formula. For example, when N is a naturalnumber greater than 2, and M is a natural number different from N, thepredetermined number of the second condition may include at least one ofa multiple of N, a number that is not the multiple of N, a number whoseremainder is M when divided by N, a number whose remainder is not M whendivided by N, a number whose last digit is the multiple of N, a numberwhose last digit is not the multiple of N, and any one of threedifferent numbers whose last digit is less than 10. Of course, thepredetermined number of the second condition may be determined in othermethods such as a method of arbitrarily selecting a number instead ofthe result value according to the formula.

According to an embodiment, the device 100 may change the difficulty ofvisual perceptual training in the training session. For example, thecontroller 1500 may change the difficulty of visual perceptual trainingin the training session by changing a time period during which thevisual object is displayed.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the device 100 may sequentially display a Gaborpatch with a horizontal pattern orientation or a Gabor patch with avertical pattern orientation in the training session according to thefirst example. Here, the rule related to visual perceptual training maybe a rule for requesting, from the trainee, a first response whendisplaying a Gabor patch with a horizontal pattern orientation, a secondresponse when displaying a Gabor patch with a vertical patternorientation, and a third response when the order of displayed visualobjects is a multiple of 3.

The device 100 may request the trainee to respond to a rule related tovisual perceptual training. For example, the device 100 may request aresponse from the trainee in a training session, the responsecorresponding to “order 1: first response, order 2: second response,order 3: third response, order 4: first response, order 5: firstresponse, order 6: third response, order 7: second response.”

The device 100 may check the trainee's response in the training session.For example, the device 100 may receive and check a response from thetrainee, the response including “order 1: first response, order 2:second response, order 3: third response, order 4: first response, order5: first response, order 6: second response, order 7: second response.”

The device 100 may determine whether the checked response is correct.For example, the device 100 may determine whether the checked responseis correct according to a rule including the first condition and thesecond condition based on the attribute of the visual object, thedisplay order of the visual object, and the type of the checkedresponse.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the device 100 may request a first response fromthe trainee because a Gabor patch displayed in order 1 is a Gabor patchwith a horizontal pattern orientation, and when the checked response isthe first response, determine that the checked response is correct.Also, the device 100 may request a second response from the traineebecause a Gabor patch displayed in order 2 is a Gabor patch with avertical pattern orientation, and when the checked response is thesecond response, determine that the checked response is correct.Further, the device 100 may request a third response from the traineebecause the order 6 in which the Gabor patch is displayed is themultiple of 3, and when the checked response is the second response,determine that the checked response is incorrect. That is, the device100 may determine whether the checked response is correct or incorrect(right or wrong), such as “order 1: correct, order 2: correct, order 3:correct, order 4: correct, order 5: correct, order 6: incorrect, order7: correct” in the training session.

It is noted that the training session according to the embodiment may beprovided using other perceptual stimuli, but is not limited to the abovedescription.

Second Example

Hereinafter, a training session according to a second example providedby the device 100 will be described.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing a second example of a trainingsession of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the device 100 may display a visual object in atraining session according to a second example and request various typesof responses according to a rule.

The rule related to the visual perceptual training of a training sessionaccording to the second example is to provide an identification task toa trainee in the training session, wherein the trainee needs to identifya test object having the test value of a displayed specific attribute,compare the test object with a reference object having a reference valueof the specific attribute, and input a correct response. That is, therule related to visual perceptual training may be a rule for requestinga specific type of response from a trainee when the displayed testobject is identical to a preset reference object, and requesting adifferent type of response from the trainee when the displayed testobject is different from the preset reference object.

According to an embodiment, the device 100 may request the firstresponse when the displayed test object is identical to the firstreference object. For example, the device 100 may request the firstresponse from the trainee when the test value of the specific attributeof the displayed test object is identical to the first reference valueof the specific attribute of the first reference object. Specifically,when the device 100 displays a Gabor patch having a horizontal patternorientation, the device 100 may request a first type of user input(e.g., the input of the left button of the input module 1200) from thetrainee.

According to an embodiment, the rule may be a rule for requesting asecond response from the trainee when the displayed test object isidentical to the second reference object. For example, the rule may be arule requesting the second response from the trainee when the test valueof the specific attribute of the displayed test object is identical tothe second reference value of the specific attribute of the secondreference object.

Specifically, when the device 100 displays a Gabor patch having avertical pattern orientation, the rule may be a rule for requesting asecond type of user input (e.g., the input of the right button of theinput module 1200) from the trainee.

According to an embodiment, the rule may be a rule for requesting athird response from the trainee when the displayed test object isdifferent from both the first reference object and the second referenceobject. For example, the rule may be a rule requesting a third responsefrom the trainee when the test value of the specific attribute of thedisplayed test object is different from both the first reference valueand the second reference value of the specific attributes of the firstreference object and the second reference object. Specifically, thedevice 100 may request the absence of a user input from the trainee whendisplaying a Gabor patch having a pattern orientation inclined at acertain angle, except for the horizontal and vertical patternorientations. Here, the degree of inclination of the pattern orientationof the Gabor patch may be determined based on the difficulty of visualperceptual training.

It is noted that the type of response requested by the device 100 may bechanged according to rules related to visual perceptual training, suchas requesting a third type of user input, instead of requesting theabsence of user input from the trainee.

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may request, from atrainee, a first response when the test value in the pattern orientationof a displayed test object is identical to a first reference value inthe pattern orientation of a first reference object, a second responsewhen the test value in the pattern orientation of the displayed testobject is identical to a second reference value in the patternorientation of a second reference object, and a third response when thetest value in the pattern orientation of a displayed test object isdifferent from the first reference value and the second reference valuein the pattern orientations of the first reference object and the secondreference object.

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may change thedifficulty of visual perceptual training in the training session. Forexample, the controller 1500 may change the difficulty of visualperceptual training in the training session based on a result ofdetermining whether the checked response is correct. Specifically, thecontroller 1500 may increase the difficulty when the result of thedetermination is correct or consecutively correct, and decrease thedifficulty when the result of the determination is incorrect orconsecutively incorrect.

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may adjust thedifficulty of visual perceptual training by adjusting a differencebetween two reference objects and a third test object that is differentfrom the two reference objects. For example, when the controller 1500displays the third test object having the attribute of a test value thatis different from the reference values of specific attributes of the tworeference objects, the controller 1500 may change the difficulty byadjusting an average difference between one of the two reference valuesand the test value of the third test object. Here, the averagedifference may be smaller as the difficulty level is higher. Throughthis, the device 100 may request the trainee to more accurately memorizethe reference object, thereby improving the trainee's cognitive ability.

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may adjust thedifficulty of visual perceptual training by changing a difference inpattern orientation between the two reference objects and a third testobject that is different from the two reference objects. For example,the controller 1500 may decrease the difference between one of a firstpattern orientation and a second pattern orientation and a third patternorientation to increase the difficulty of visual perceptual training inthe training session when displaying a third test object with a thirdpattern orientation different from both the first pattern orientationand the second pattern orientation, the first reference object being aGabor patch with the first pattern orientation and the second referenceobject being a Gabor patch with the second pattern orientation.

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may adjust thedifficulty of visual perceptual training by changing a difference inpattern contrast between the two reference objects and a third testobject that is different from the two reference objects. For example,the controller 1500 may decrease the difference between one of a firstpattern contrast and a second pattern contrast and a third patterncontrast to increase the difficulty of visual perceptual training in thetraining session when displaying a third test object with the thirdpattern contrast different from both the first pattern contrast and thesecond pattern contrast, the first reference object being a Gabor patchwith the first pattern contrast and the second reference object being aGabor patch with the second pattern contrast.

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may adjust thedifficulty of visual perceptual training by changing a difference inpattern width between the two reference objects and a third test objectthat is different from the two reference objects. For example, thecontroller 1500 may decrease the difference between one of a firstpattern width and a second pattern width and a third pattern width toincrease the difficulty of visual perceptual training in the trainingsession when displaying a third test object with the third pattern widthdifferent from both the first pattern width and the second patternwidth, the first reference object being a Gabor patch with the firstpattern width and the second reference object being a Gabor patch withthe second pattern width.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the device 100 may sequentially display Gaborpatches having various pattern orientations as a test object having atest value (e.g., a horizontal or vertical pattern orientation) of aspecific attribute (pattern orientation) in a training session accordingto the second example. Here, the first reference object may be a Gaborpatch having a horizontal pattern orientation, and the second referenceobject may be a Gabor patch having a vertical pattern orientation.

The device 100 may request a response to a displayed test object from atrainee. For example, the device 100 may request a response from thetrainee in a training session, the response corresponding to “order 1:first response, order 2: third response, order 3: second response, order4: third response, order 5: third response, order 6: third response.”

The device 100 may check the trainee's response in the training session.For example, the device 100 may receive and check a response from thetrainee, the response including “order 1: first response, order 2: thirdresponse, order 3: second response, order 4: third response, order 5:third response, order 6: third response.”

The device 100 may determine whether the checked response is correct.For example, the device 100 may determine whether a checked response iscorrect according to a rule based on the test value and the type of thechecked response.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the device 100 may request a first response fromthe trainee because a test object displayed in order 1 is a Gabor patchwith a horizontal pattern orientation, and when the checked response isthe first response, determine that the checked response is correct.Also, the device 100 may determine that the checked response is correctwhen a requested response is a third response and the checked responseis the third response because the test object displayed in order 2 is aGabor patch with an inclined pattern orientation. Also, the device 100may determine that the checked response is incorrect when a requestedresponse is the third response and the checked response is the firstresponse because the test object displayed in order 6 is a Gabor patchwith an inclined pattern orientation. That is, the device 100 maydetermine whether the checked response is correct or incorrect, such as“order 1: correct, order 2: correct, order 3: correct, order 4: correct,order 5: correct, order 6: incorrect” in the training session.

Also, the device 100 may adjust the difficulty of visual perceptualtraining by adjusting a difference between two reference objects and athird test object that is different from the two reference objects.Referring to FIG. 8 , as the visual perceptual training proceeds fromorder 4 to order 6, it can be seen that the difference between thepattern orientation of the reference object and the pattern orientationof the test object is reduced, and thus the difficulty increases. Here,the difference between the pattern orientation of the test object andthe pattern orientation of the first reference object is graduallyreduced, and the difficulty gradually increases as the sequence proceedsto order 6.

It is noted that the training session according to the embodiment may beprovided using other perceptual stimuli without being not limited to theabove description.

Third Example

Hereinafter, a training session according to a third example provided bythe device 100 will be described.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are diagrams showing a third example of a trainingsession of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 9 , the device 100 may request various types ofresponses according to a rule in a training session according to a thirdexample.

The rule related to the visual perceptual training of the trainingsession according to the third example is to provide a trainee with anidentification task and a cognitive task together in the trainingsession, wherein the trainee needs to identify a displayed visualobject, remember a visual object displayed in a previous specific order,and input a correct response. That is, the rule related to visualperceptual training may be a rule for comparing the displayed visualobject with a visual object displayed in a preset previous order andrequesting a correct response from the trainee.

According to the inventive concept, the rule related to visualperceptual training may be a rule for requesting a first response fromthe trainee when a first attribute of a displayed visual object isidentical to a second attribute of a displayed visual object in a presetprevious order. For example, when the attribute of the visual object isidentical to the attribute of the visual object displayed in the secondprevious order, the device 100 may request, from the trainee, a firsttype of user input (e.g., the input of the left button of the inputmodule 1200).

According to the inventive concept, the rule related to visualperceptual training may be a rule for requesting a second response fromthe trainee when the first attribute of the displayed visual object isdifferent from the second attribute of the displayed visual object inthe preset previous order. For example, when the attribute of the visualobject is different from the attribute of the visual object displayed inthe second previous order, the device 100 may request, from the trainee,a second type of user input (e.g., the input of the right button of theinput module 1200).

It is noted that the type of response requested by the device 100 may bechanged according to rules related to visual perceptual training, suchas requesting the absence of a user input from the trainee, instead ofrequesting the first type of user input and the second type of userinput from the trainee.

That is, according to the inventive concept, the device 100 may requesta first response when the first pattern orientation of a displayed Gaborpatch is identical to the second pattern orientation of a Gabor patchdisplayed in a preset previous order, and request a second response whenthe first pattern orientation of the displayed Gabor patch is differentfrom the second pattern orientation of the Gabor patch displayed in thepreset previous order.

Referring to FIG. 10 , the device 100 may sequentially display Gaborpatches having various pattern orientations as a visual object having atest value of a specific attribute (pattern orientation) in a trainingsession according to the third example. Here, the device 100 may requesta first response when the first pattern orientation of a displayed Gaborpatch is identical to the second pattern orientation of a Gabor patchdisplayed in a second previous order, and request a second response whenthe first pattern orientation of the displayed Gabor patch is differentfrom the second pattern orientation of the Gabor patch displayed in thesecond previous order.

The device 100 may request the trainee to respond to a rule related tovisual perceptual training. For example, the device 100 may request aresponse from the trainee in a training session, the responsecorresponding to “order 3: second response, order 4: second response,order 5: first response, order 6: second response.”

The device 100 may check the trainee's response in the training session.For example, the device 100 may receive and check a response from thetrainee, the response including “order 3: second response, order 4:second response, order 5: second response, order 6: second response.”

The device 100 may determine whether the checked response is correct.For example, the device 100 may determine whether a checked response iscorrect according to a rule based on the displayed visual object, avisual object displayed in the N-th previous order, and the type of thechecked response. Referring to FIG. 10 , the device 100 may request thesecond response from the trainee because the pattern orientation of adisplayed Gabor patch in order 3 is different from the patternorientation of a displayed Gabor patch displayed in order 1, and whenthe checked response is the second response, determine that the checkedresponse is correct. Also, the device 100 may request the first responsefrom the trainee because the pattern orientation of a displayed Gaborpatch displayed in order 5 is identical to the pattern orientation of adisplayed Gabor patch displayed in order 3, and when the checkedresponse is the second response, determine that the checked response isincorrect.

That is, the device 100 may determine whether the checked response iscorrect or incorrect, such as “order 3: correct, order 4: correct, order5: incorrect, order 6: correct” in the training session.

In addition, the device 100 may display various Gabor patches, such asGabor patches having a pattern orientation other than Gabor patcheshaving horizontal or vertical stripes, such as Gabor patches displayedin order 6 of FIG. 10 .

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may change thedifficulty in the training session. For example, the controller 1500 mayincrease a preset size of a previous order N to increase the difficultyof the training session.

It is noted that the training session according to the embodiment may beprovided using other perceptual stimuli without being not limited to theabove description.

The hippocampus also plays a very important role in human spatialperception. Specifically, the hippocampus remembers spatiotemporalinformation received from sensory organs, and is also involved inegocentric and/or allocentric processing of the spatiotemporalinformation. Therefore, even when navigation training related to spatialperception processing is provided, the hippocampus is similarlystimulated, so that the cognitive ability of the trainee may beimproved.

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may further stimulatethe hippocampus by providing a training session for improving cognitiveability in which perception training and navigation training areperformed together, thereby further improving the cognitive ability ofthe trainee.

For example, the device 100 may provide the training session accordingto the first to third examples described above on a background image fornavigation. Specifically, the training session according to the first tothird examples may be provided in the background image including avirtual vehicle and a virtual road for navigation.

Further, each response of the training session according to the first tothird examples may be related to movement of a vehicle in a specificorientation.

In addition, the training session according to the first to thirdexamples may request an additional response related to the movement ofthe vehicle. Here, the background image may include an obstacle thatprevents movement of the vehicle, and the additional response may berelated to steering the vehicle such that the vehicle does not collidewith the obstacle.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method for providing a navigation trainingsession according to the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 11 , a method for providing a navigation trainingsession according to the inventive concept may include displaying abackground image for navigation (S2100), sequentially displaying visualobjects (S2300), checking a trainee's response related to the displayedvisual object (S2500), determining whether the checked response iscorrect according to a rule (S2700), and outputting a feedbackindicating whether the checked response is correct (S2900).

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may display an imagefor navigation (S2100).

FIGS. 12 to 14 are diagrams showing background images of a navigationtraining session for visual perceptual training according to theinventive concept.

Referring to FIGS. 12 to 14 , the device 100 may display a backgroundimage including a virtual road 20 and a virtual vehicle 10.

Referring to FIG. 12 , the device 100 may display the background imagefor navigation in a third person perspective.

The device 100 may display the virtual road 20 and the virtual vehicle10 in a third person perspective, and receive an input of a traineerelated to the movement of the vehicle 10 from the input module 1200.

For example, the controller 1500 may receive the trainee's responsecorresponding to the movement of the vehicle 10 in a specificorientation from the input module 1200. Specifically, the controller1500 may receive, from the input module 1200, an input of a trainee whocontrols the vehicle 10 to avoid collision with an obstacle placed onthe road 20. Also, the controller 1500 may receive, from the inputmodule 1200, an input of a trainee who controls the vehicle 10 not todeviate to the outside of the road 20.

Referring to FIG. 13 , the device 100 may display a background imageincluding a forked road.

The device 100 may display the forked road, and receive an input of atrainee related to the movement of the vehicle 10 from the input module1200.

For example, the controller 1500 may receive the trainee's responsecorresponding to the movement of the vehicle 10 in a specificorientation from the input module 1200. Specifically, the controller1500 may receive, from the input module 1200, an input of a trainee whocontrols the vehicle 10 to enter a road in a specific orientation in theforked road.

Referring to FIG. 14 , the device 100 may display the background imagefor navigation in a first person perspective.

The device 100 may display the virtual road 20 and the virtual vehicle10 in a first person perspective. For example, the controller 1500 maydisplay the virtual road 20 and the vehicle 10 which drives on thevirtual road 20 through the output module 1100, the vehicle 10 includinga steering wheel, a gear lever, a pedal, and the like.

It is noted that the background image for navigation is not limited tothe above described image, and may include additional elements such asan obstacle that prevents movement of the vehicle, an avatar riding inthe vehicle, another vehicle, and a traffic light.

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may sequentiallydisplay visual objects to provide an identification task to a trainee ina navigation training session (S2300).

For example, the controller 1500 may display a visual object for visualperceptual training through the output module 1100. Here, the controller1500 may request a response related to the visual object from thetrainee.

The trainee's response may be related to the movement of the vehicle.For example, a first response of the trainee with respect to the visualobject may correspond to movement of the vehicle in a first orientation,and a second response of the trainee with respect to the visual objectmay correspond to movement of the vehicle in a second orientation.

Referring to FIGS. 12 to 14 , the device 100 may display a Gabor patch30 for visual perceptual training at a specific location.

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may check the type ofthe trainee's response related to the visual object displayed in thenavigation training session (S2500).

The controller 1500 may receive an input of the trainee related to thevisual object from the input module 1200. For example, the controller1500 may receive the input of the trainee related to the identificationof the visual object as an identification task from the input module1200.

Also, the controller 1500 may check what type of response the obtainedresponse is. Here, each of types of responses may correspond to eachdisplayed visual object. For example, the controller 1500 may request,from the user, a response with a first type (for example, input of aleft button of the input module 1200) when a first visual object isdisplayed, and request, from the user, a response with a second type(for example, input of a right button of the input module 1200) when asecond visual object is displayed. It is noted that each type ofresponses may correspond to an attribute of each displayed visualobject. Also, the types of responses include various types of userinputs, and the absence of a user input may be one of the types ofresponse.

The checked type of the response of the trainee may be related to themovement of the vehicle. For example, each response may be related tomovement of the vehicle in a specific orientation. It is noted that eachresponse is not related to the movement of the vehicle, and the device100 may receive an additional response related to the movement of thevehicle.

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may determine whetherthe checked response in the navigation training session is correctaccording to the rule (S2700).

The controller 1500 may determine whether the checked response iscorrect according to the rule based on the displayed visual object andthe type of the checked response.

Specifically, the controller 1500 may compare the type of a responsecorresponding to the displayed visual object with the checked response,and when the two responses are the same, determine that the response iscorrect. For example, when the first visual object is displayed, if thechecked response is the first response corresponding to the first visualobject, the controller 1500 may determine that the trainee has input acorrect response.

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may output a feedbackindicating whether a response checked in the navigation training sessionis correct (S2900).

The controller 1500 may output the feedback indicating whether thechecked response is correct through the output module 1100. For example,the controller 1500 may display a message, a video, an image, or thelike regarding whether the checked response is correct, through theoutput module 1100.

As another example, the controller 1500 may audibly output a voice, amelody, an alarm, or the like regarding whether the checked response iscorrect, through the output module 1100. As another example, thecontroller 1500 may tactfully output various types of vibrationsregarding whether the checked response is correct through the outputmodule 1100.

Also, the controller 1500 may output a feedback indicating whether thenavigation of the vehicle is accurate through the output module 1100and/or the output module 1100. For example, the controller 1500 mayoutput a feedback indicating that the driving of the vehicle is notproperly performed when the vehicle deviates from a road or collideswith an obstacle through the output module 1100.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of a navigation training sessionprovided by the device 100 will be described.

Fourth Example

Hereinafter, a training session according to a fourth example providedby the device 100 will be described.

In the training session according to the fourth example, the device 100may sequentially display visual objects on a background image includinga virtual road and a virtual vehicle, and request a response related tothe visual object from a trainee.

The rule related to the visual perceptual training applied in the fourthexample of the training session for the visual perceptual training maybe the rule in the third example. The rule related to the visualperceptual training according to the fourth example is to provide atrainee with an identification task and a cognitive task together in thetraining session, wherein the trainee needs to identify a displayedvisual object, remember a visual object displayed in a previous specificorder, and input a correct response. That is, the rule related to visualperceptual training may be a rule for comparing the displayed visualobject with a visual object displayed in a preset previous order andrequesting a correct response from the trainee.

The rule related to visual perceptual training may be a rule forrequesting a first response from the trainee when a first attribute of adisplayed visual object is identical to a second attribute of adisplayed visual object in a preset previous order. For example, whenthe attribute of the visual object is identical to the attribute of thevisual object displayed in the second previous order, the device 100 mayrequest, from the trainee, a first type of user input (e.g., the inputof the left button of the input module 1200).

The rule related to visual perceptual training may be a rule forrequesting a second response from the trainee when a first attribute ofa displayed visual object is different from a second attribute of adisplayed visual object in a preset previous order. For example, whenthe attribute of the visual object is different from the attribute ofthe visual object displayed in the second previous order, the device 100may request, from the trainee, a second type of user input (e.g., theinput of the right button of the input module 1200). It is noted thatthe type of response requested by the device 100 may be changedaccording to rules related to visual perceptual training, such asrequesting the absence of a user input from the trainee, instead ofrequesting the first type of user input and the second type of userinput from the trainee.

According to the inventive concept, the trainee's response with respectto the displayed visual object may be related to the movement of thevehicle. For example, the type of trainee's response with respect to thevisual object may be related to determination of whether the vehicle isto pass or avoid the visual object. Specifically, the first response maycorrespond to the vehicle passing the visual object, and the secondresponse may correspond to the vehicle avoiding the visual object. It isnoted that the trainee's response related to the visual object isindependent of the movement of the vehicle, and an additional responseof the trainee related to the movement of the vehicle may be received.

FIGS. 15A to 15D are diagrams regarding a fourth example of a trainingsession of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIGS. 15A to 15D, the device 100 may sequentially displayGabor patches 31, 32, 33, and 34 having various pattern orientations asan object with a specific attribute (e.g., pattern orientation) in abackground image including the virtual road 20 and the virtual vehicle10.

The device 100 may request a first response when the first patternorientation of a displayed Gabor patch is identical to the secondpattern orientation of a Gabor patch displayed in a second previousorder, and request a second response when the first pattern orientationof the displayed Gabor patch is different from the second patternorientation of the Gabor patch displayed in the second previous order.

Here, the first response may correspond to the vehicle 10 passingthrough the displayed Gabor patches 31, 32, 33, and 34, and the secondresponse may correspond to the vehicle 10 avoiding the displayed Gaborpatches 31, 32, 33, and 34.

Also, the device 100 may check the trainee's response in the trainingsession. For example, the device 100 may check the types of thetrainee's responses related to the Gabor patches 31, 32, 33, and 34sequentially displayed.

Also, the device 100 may determine whether a checked response is correctaccording to a rule based on the displayed visual object, a visualobject displayed in the N-th previous order, and the type of the checkedresponse. Here, N is a positive integer.

Referring to FIG. 15C, the device 100 may determine that a first type ofuser input corresponding to the passage of the Gabor patch 33 of thevehicle 10 is a correct response because the Gabor patch 33 displayed isa Gabor patch having a horizontal pattern orientation, and the Gaborpatch 31 displayed first is also a Gabor patch having a horizontalpattern orientation.

Referring to FIG. 15D, the device 100 may determine that a second typeof user input corresponding to the avoidance of the Gabor patch of thevehicle 10 is a correct response because the Gabor patch 34 displayedfourth is a Gabor patch having a horizontal pattern orientation, and theGabor patch 32 displayed second is a Gabor patch having a verticalpattern orientation.

Of course, the device 100 may display a Gabor patch having variousattributes, such as a Gabor patch having a pattern orientation otherthan the Gabor patch having a horizontal or vertical patternorientation.

According to the inventive concept, the device 100 may change thedifficulty of visual perceptual training in the training session. Forexample, the controller 1500 may change visual objects to be displayedto increase or decrease the difficulty of visual perceptual training inthe training session.

It is noted that the training session according to the embodiment may beprovided using other perceptual stimuli without being not limited to theabove description.

Fifth Example

Hereinafter, a training session according to a fifth example provided bythe device 100 will be described.

In the training session according to the fifth example, the device 100may sequentially display a test object with the test value of a specificattribute on a background image including a virtual road and a virtualvehicle, and request a response related to the test value from atrainee.

The rule related to the visual perceptual training which is applicableto a training session according to the fifth example is to provide anidentification task to a trainee, wherein the trainee needs to identifya test object having the test value of a displayed specific attribute,compare the test object with a reference object having a reference valueof the specific attribute, and input a correct response. That is, therule related to visual perceptual training may be a rule for requestingthe type of a specific response from a trainee when the displayed testobject is identical to a preset reference object, and requesting thetype of a different response from the trainee when the displayed testobject is different from the preset reference object.

The rule may be a rule for requesting a first response from the traineewhen the displayed test object is identical to a reference object.Specifically, the rule may be a rule requesting the first response fromthe trainee when the test value of the specific attribute of thedisplayed test object is identical to the reference value of thespecific attribute of the reference object. For example, when thereference object is a Gabor patch having a horizontal patternorientation and a displayed test object is a Gabor patch having ahorizontal pattern orientation, the device 100 may request a first typeof user input (e.g., the input of the left button of the input module1200) from the trainee.

Also, the rule may be a rule for requesting a second response from thetrainee when the displayed test object is different from the secondreference object. Specifically, the rule may be a rule requesting asecond response from the trainee when the test value of the specificattribute of the displayed test object is different from the referencevalue of the specific attribute of the reference object. For example,when the reference object is a Gabor patch having a vertical patternorientation and a displayed test object is a Gabor patch having ahorizontal pattern orientation, the device 100 may request a second typeof user input (e.g., the absence of a user input) from the trainee.

It is noted that the type of response requested by the device 100 may bechanged according to rules related to visual perceptual training, suchas requesting a second type of user input, instead of requesting theabsence of user input from the trainee.

According to the inventive concept, the trainee's response with respectto the displayed visual object may not be related to the movement of thevehicle. For example, the device 100 may request an additional responserelated to movement of the vehicle from the trainee. Here, the device100 may display an obstacle that prevents the movement of a vehicle on aroad and request an additional response from a trainee who controls thevehicle such that the vehicle does not collide with the obstacle.Through this, the device 100 may request a multi-cognitive load from thetrainee by providing both navigation training and visual perceptualtraining. It is noted that the trainee's response with respect to thevisual object is related to the movement of the vehicle, and themovement of the vehicle may be controlled according to the type of eachresponse.

Also, the device 100 may change the difficulty of the training session.For example, the controller 1500 may increase the difficulty of visualperceptual training in the training session by decreasing a differencebetween a reference object and a test object in displaying the referenceobject and the test object different from the reference object.Specifically, when the controller 1500 displays the second test objecthaving the attribute of a test value that is different from thereference value of a specific attribute of the reference object, thecontroller 1500 may change the difficulty by adjusting an averagedifference between the reference value and the test value of the secondtest object. Here, the average difference may be smaller as thedifficulty level is higher. Through this, the device 100 may request thetrainee to more accurately memorize the reference object, therebyimproving the trainee's cognitive ability.

Also, the device 100 may change a specific attribute of a referenceobject and a test object. For example, when the vehicle passes through afinish line, the controller 1500 may change the specific attribute ofthe reference object and the test object from pattern orientation topattern contrast. For example, the controller 1500 may change thespecific attribute of the reference object and the test object frompattern orientation to pattern contrast after a preset period haselapsed.

FIGS. 16A to 16D are diagrams showing a fifth example of a trainingsession of the inventive concept.

FIGS. 16A to 16D, the device 100 may display a Gabor patch havingstripes in various orientations as a visual object with a specificattribute (for example, pattern orientation) on a background imageincluding the virtual road 20, the virtual vehicle 10, and an obstacle60 that prevents the movement of the vehicle. The reference objects 40,41, 42, and 43 provided as Gabor patches and the test objects 50, 51,52, and 53 provided as Gabor patches may be displayed at differentlocations of the background image. Specifically, the reference objects40, 41, 42, and 43 may be displayed in the upper right region, and thetest objects 50, 51, 52, and 53 may be displayed on the helmet of anavatar riding in the vehicle 10.

The device 100 may request a first response from the trainee when thetest value of the pattern orientation of the displayed test objects 50,51, 52, and 53 is identical to the reference value of the patternorientation of the reference objects 40, 41, 42, and 43, and request asecond response from the trainee when the test value of the patternorientation of the displayed test objects 50, 51, 52, and 53 isdifferent from the reference value of the pattern orientation of thereference objects 40, 41, 42, and 43.

Also, the device 100 may check the trainee's response in the trainingsession. For example, the device 100 may check the types of thetrainee's responses with respect to the test objects 50, 51, 52, and 53and the reference objects 40, 41, 42, and 43, which are sequentiallydisplayed.

Also, the device 100 may determine whether a checked response is correctaccording to a rule based on the test value and the type of the checkedresponse.

Referring to FIG. 16A, when the reference object 40 that is a Gaborpatch having horizontal stripes and the test object 50 that is a Gaborpatch having the same horizontal stripes as the reference object 40 aredisplayed, the device 100 may determine the first response as a correctresponse.

Referring to FIG. 16B, when the reference object 41 that is a Gaborpatch having vertical stripes and the test object 51 that is a Gaborpatch having the different horizontal stripes from the reference object41 are displayed, the device 100 may determine the second response as acorrect response.

Also, the device 100 may additionally obtain a user input for steeringthe vehicle such that the vehicle 10 does not collide with the obstacle60 located on the road 20.

Referring to FIG. 16D, the device 100 may change an attribute of thereference object 43 and the test object 53 from pattern orientation topattern contrast when the vehicle 10 passes through a finish line 70that changes the specific attribute of the reference object 43 and thetest object 53.

Referring to FIGS. 16C and 16D, it can be seen that the differencebetween the pattern orientation of the test object 53 and the patternorientation of the reference object 42 is smaller than the differencebetween the pattern orientation of the test object 52 and the patternorientation of the reference object 43, so that the difficulty of visualperceptual training of FIG. 16D is higher than that of FIG. 16C.

Sixth Example

Hereinafter, a training session according to a sixth example provided bythe device 100 will be described.

In the training session according to the sixth example, the device 100may output a perceptual stimulus indicating a moving orientation of thevehicle to a background image including a virtual road and a virtualvehicle, and request a response related to the perceptual stimulus froma trainee. Here, the virtual road may include a plurality of forkedroads.

The rule related to the visual perceptual training applied in thetraining session according to the sixth example is to provide anidentification task to the trainee in the training session, wherein thetrainee needs to identify a displayed orientation indicator, and input aresponse to move a vehicle according to the identified orientationindicator.

The rule related to visual perceptual training may be a rule requestinga response corresponding to the displayed orientation indicator. Forexample, the rule related to visual perceptual training may be a rulerequesting a first response corresponding to a first orientationindicator when the first orientation indicator is displayed, andrequesting a second response corresponding to a second orientationindicator when the second orientation indicator is displayed. Here, theresponse may be related to the movement of the vehicle. For example, thefirst response may move the vehicle in a first orientation, and thesecond response may move the vehicle in a second orientation.

Also, the rule related to visual perceptual training may be a rulerequesting a response corresponding to a specific attribute of adisplayed orientation indicator. For example, the rule related to visualperceptual training may be a rule requesting a first responsecorresponding to a first orientation indicator with first attribute whenthe first orientation indicator with the first attribute is displayed,and requesting a second response corresponding to a second orientationindicator with first attribute when the second orientation indicatorwith the second attribute is displayed. Here, the response may berelated to the movement of the vehicle. For example, the first responsemay move the vehicle in a first orientation, and the second response maymove the vehicle in a second orientation.

It is noted that the type of response requested by the device 100 may bechanged according to rules related to visual perceptual training, suchas requesting the absence of a user input from the trainee, instead ofrequesting the specific type of user input from the trainee.

The device 100 may check the trainee's response related to a displayedorientation indicator. Here, the trainee's response may be related tothe movement of the vehicle. For example, the first response may movethe vehicle in a first orientation, and the second response may move thevehicle in a second orientation.

Also, the device 100 may determine whether a checked response is correctaccording to a rule based on the orientation indicator and the type ofthe checked response. For example, the controller 1500 may determine thefirst response corresponding to the first orientation indicator as acorrect response. Also, the controller 1500 may determine the secondresponse corresponding to the second orientation indicator as a correctresponse.

Also, the device 100 may change the difficulty of the training session.For example, the controller 1500 may increase the difficulty of thetraining session by increasing the number of types of orientationindicators.

According to an embodiment, the device 100 may provide a navigationtraining session using different perceptual stimuli.

The device 100 may provide an orientation indicator through anotherperceptual stimulus. For example, the device 100 may output an auditorystimulus serving as an orientation indicator together with a backgroundimage including a virtual road and a virtual vehicle for auditoryperceptual learning. Here, the other perceptual stimuli may includeauditory stimuli, tactile stimuli, gustatory stimuli, olfactory stimuli,and the like. In addition, the perceptual stimuli may have specificattributes. For example, the auditory stimulus may have attributes suchas intensity, speed, pitch, rhythm, and length.

A rule related to perceptual training may be a rule requesting aresponse corresponding to an output orientation indicator. For example,the rule related to auditory perceptual training may be a rulerequesting a first response corresponding to a first orientationindicator when the first orientation indicator is audibly output andrequesting a second response corresponding to a second orientationindicator when the second orientation indicator is audibly output. Here,the response may be related to the movement of the vehicle. For example,the first response may move the vehicle in a first orientation, and thesecond response may move the vehicle in a second orientation.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a sixth example of a training session ofthe inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 17 , the device 100 may display various shapes ofGabor patches as an orientation indicator on a background imageincluding the virtual road 20 including a plurality of forked roads andthe virtual vehicle 10. Here, a cylindrical Gabor patch indicatesmovement to the left, a circular Gabor patch indicates forward movement,and a rectangular Gabor patch indicates movement to the right.

The device 100 may request a response corresponding to the displayedorientation indicator 35 from the trainee. For example, the device 100may display a first response corresponding to the cylindrical Gaborpatch when the cylindrical Gabor patch is displayed, a second responsecorresponding to the circular Gabor patch when the circular Gabor patchis displayed, and a third response corresponding to the rectangularGabor patch when the rectangular Gabor patch is displayed. Here, thefirst response may correspond to the movement of the vehicle 10 to theleft, the second response may correspond to the forward movement of thevehicle 10, and the third response may correspond to the movement of thevehicle 10 to the right.

Also, the device 100 may check the trainee's response in the trainingsession. For example, the device 100 may check the type of the trainee'sresponse related to the displayed orientation indicator 35.

Also, the device 100 may determine whether a checked response is correctaccording to a rule based on the orientation indicator 35 and the typeof the checked response.

Referring to FIG. 17 , when the orientation indicator 35 that is arectangular Gabor patch is displayed, the device 100 may determine athird reaction corresponding to the rectangular Gabor patch as a correctresponse. Here, the third reaction corresponds to the movement 80 to theright of the vehicle 10 so that the device 100 moves the vehicle 10 tothe right road.

It is noted that the training session according to the embodiment may beprovided using other perceptual stimuli without being not limited to theabove description.

Seventh Example

Hereinafter, a training session according to a seventh example providedby the device 100 will be described.

In the training session according to the seventh example, the device 100may display an orientation indicator with a specific pattern orientationon a background image including a virtual road and a virtual vehicle,and request a response related to the pattern orientation from atrainee.

The rule related to the visual perceptual training applied in thetraining session according to the seventh example is to provide anidentification task, and the trainee identifies a visual object having aspecific pattern orientation, and responds correctly according to thepattern orientation of the identified visual object.

The rule related to visual perceptual training may be a rule requestinga response corresponding to an orientation indicator having a displayedspecific pattern orientation. Specifically, the rule related to visualperceptual training may be a rule requesting a response of moving thevehicle in the same movement orientation as the pattern orientation ofthe orientation indicator having a displayed specific patternorientation.

For example, when the orientation indicator having the first patternorientation is displayed, the device 100 may request a first reaction ofmoving the vehicle in the same first movement orientation as the firstpattern orientation. Also, when the orientation indicator having thesecond pattern orientation is displayed, the device 100 may request asecond reaction of moving the vehicle in the same second movementorientation as the second pattern orientation.

It is noted that the type of response requested by the device 100 may bechanged according to rules related to visual perceptual training, suchas requesting the absence of a user input from the trainee, instead ofrequesting the specific type of user input from the trainee.

The device 100 may check the trainee's response related to a displayedorientation indicator. The device 100 may check the trainee's responserelated to a displayed orientation indicator. Here, the trainee'sresponse may be related to the movement of the vehicle.

Also, the device 100 may determine whether a checked response is correctaccording to a rule based on the orientation indicator and the type ofthe checked response. For example, the controller 1500 may determine thefirst reaction of moving the vehicle in the same first movementorientation as the first pattern orientation of the orientationindicator as the correct reaction. Also, the controller 1500 maydetermine the second reaction of moving the vehicle in the same secondmovement orientation as the second pattern orientation of theorientation indicator as the correct reaction.

Also, the device 100 may change the difficulty of the training session.For example, the controller 1500 may increase the number of forks toincrease the difficulty of the training session.

FIG. 18 is a diagram regarding a seventh example of a training sessionof the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 18 , the device 100 may sequentially display a Gaborpatch having stripes in various orientations as an orientation indicator36 having a pattern orientation 71 in a background image including thevirtual road 20 and the virtual vehicle 10. Here, the virtual road mayinclude a plurality of forked roads.

The device 100 may request the trainee's response to move the vehicle 10in the same orientation as the pattern orientation 71 of the displayedorientation indicator 36.

Also, the device 100 may check the trainee's response in the trainingsession. For example, the device 100 may check the type of the trainee'sresponse related to the pattern orientation 71 of the displayedorientation indicator 36.

Also, the device 100 may determine whether a checked response is correctaccording to a rule based on the pattern orientation 71 and the type ofthe checked response.

Referring to FIG. 18 , the device 100 may determine, as a correctresponse, a response to move the vehicle 10 in the same movingorientation 81 as the pattern orientation 71 when the orientationindicator 36 having the pattern orientation 71 is displayed. That is,the trainee needs to input a user input for moving the vehicle 10 into aroad in the same orientation 81 as the specific pattern orientation 71.

Eighth Example

Hereinafter, a training session according to an eighth example providedby the device 100 will be described.

FIG. 19 is a diagram related to an orientation indicator used in aneighth example of a training session of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 19 , the orientation indicator may include a pluralityof visual objects each moving in an individual orientation.

The orientation indicator may include visual objects that randomly moveand visual objects that move coherently in a specific orientation. Here,the orientation indicator may instruct the movement of the vehicle in anorientation corresponding to a specific orientation of a coherentlymoving visual object. The visual object included in the orientationindicator may be a small-sized circle, but may be a Gabor patch, and thelike, but is not limited thereto.

Motion coherence, which is a ratio of a consistently moving visualobject included in an orientation indicator, may vary. Referring to FIG.19 , it can be seen that the motion coherence increases as theorientation indicator is further located on the right.

In the training session according to the eighth example, the device 100may display an orientation indicator including visual objects thatrandomly move and visual objects that move coherently in a specificorientation on a background image including a virtual road and a virtualvehicle, and request a response related to the specific orientation fromthe trainee. Here, the virtual road may include a plurality of forkedroads.

The rule related to the visual perceptual training applied to thetraining session according to the eighth example is to provide anidentification task, wherein the trainee needs to identify anorientation indicator including visual objects that randomly move andvisual objects that move coherently in a specific orientation, and inputa correct response according to the identified specific orientation.

The rule related to visual perceptual training may be a rule requestinga response corresponding to the displayed orientation indicatorincluding visual objects randomly moving and visual objects consistentlymoving in a specific orientation. Specifically, the rule related tovisual perceptual training may be a rule requesting a response to movethe vehicle in the same moving orientation as the specific orientationwhen an orientation indicator including visual objects randomly movingand visual objects consistently moving in a specific orientation isdisplayed.

For example, when an orientation indicator including visual objectsconsistently moving in the first orientation is displayed, the device100 may request a first response to move the vehicle in the same firstmoving orientation as the first orientation. Also, when an orientationindicator including visual objects consistently moving in the secondorientation is displayed, the device 100 may request a first response tomove the vehicle in the same second moving orientation as the secondorientation.

It is noted that the type of response requested by the device 100 may bechanged according to rules related to visual perceptual training, suchas requesting the absence of a user input from the trainee, instead ofrequesting the specific type of user input from the trainee.

The device 100 may check the trainee's response related to a displayedorientation indicator. For example, the device 100 may check thetrainee's response with respect to visual objects that consistently movein a specific orientation included in the displayed orientationindicator. Here, the trainee's response may be related to the movementof the vehicle.

Also, the device 100 may determine whether a checked response is correctaccording to a rule based on the specific orientation indicator and thetype of the checked response. For example, the controller 1500 maydetermine, as a correct response, the first response to move the vehiclein the same first moving orientation as the first orientation of theorientation indicator including visual objects consistently moving inthe first orientation. Also, the controller 1500 may determine, as acorrect response, the second response to move the vehicle in the samesecond moving orientation as the second orientation of the orientationindicator including visual objects consistently moving in the secondorientation.

Also, the device 100 may change the difficulty of visual perceptualtraining in the training session based on the motion coherence of theorientation indicator. For example, the device 100 may decrease thedifficulty of visual perceptual training in a training session byincreasing the motion coherence of the orientation indicator.

FIG. 20 is a diagram regarding an eighth example of a training sessionof the inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 20 , the device 100 may display an orientationindicator 37 including visual objects moving randomly and visual objectsconsistently moving in a first orientation 72 on a background imageincluding the virtual road 20 and the virtual vehicle 10. Here, thevirtual road may include a plurality of forked roads.

The device 100 may request, from the trainee, a response to move thevehicle 10 in the same orientation 82 as the first orientation 72 inwhich the consistently moving visual objects included in the displayedorientation indicator 37 move.

Also, the device 100 may check the trainee's response in the trainingsession. For example, the device 100 may check the type of the trainee'sresponse with respect to the consistently-moving visual objects includedin the displayed orientation indicator 37.

Also, the device 100 may determine whether a checked response is correctaccording to a rule based on the first orientation 72 and the type ofthe checked response.

Referring to FIG. 20 , when the orientation indicator 37 includingvisual objects consistently moving in the first orientation 72 isdisplayed, the device 100 may determine, as a correct response, aresponse to move the vehicle 10 in the first moving orientation 82 thatis the same as the first orientation 72. That is, the trainee needs toinput a user input for moving the vehicle 10 into the road in the sameorientation 82 as the first orientation 72 of the orientation indicator37.

According to the inventive concept, it is possible to improve thecognitive ability of the user by using the visual perceptual trainingthat requires a cognitive load.

According to another embodiment of the inventive concept, it is possibleto arouse user's interest and improve the cognitive ability by combiningvisual perceptual training with navigation.

The above-described methods may be embodied in the form of programinstructions that can be executed by various computer means and recordedon a computer-readable medium. The computer readable medium may includeprogram instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, aloneor in combination. Program instructions recorded on the media may bethose specially designed and constructed for the purposes of theinventive concept, or they may be of the kind well-known and availableto those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples ofcomputer readable recording media include magnetic media such as harddisks, floppy disks and magnetic tape, optical media such as CD-ROMs,DVDs, and magnetic disks such as floppy disks, magneto-optical media,and hardware devices specifically configured to store and executeprogram instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like.Examples of program instructions include not only machine code generatedby a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed bya computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devicedescribed above may be configured to operate as one or more softwaremodules to perform the operations of the present disclosure, and viceversa.

Although the embodiments have been described by the limited embodimentsand the drawings as described above, various modifications andvariations are possible to those skilled in the art from the abovedescription. For example, the described techniques may be performed in adifferent order than the described method, and/or components of thedescribed systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. may be combinedor combined in a different form than the described method, or othercomponents, or even when replaced or substituted by equivalents, anappropriate result may be achieved.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents tothe claims are within the scope of the following claims.

While the inventive concept has been described with reference toembodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious changes and modifications may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the inventive concept. Therefore, it should beunderstood that the above embodiments are not limiting, butillustrative.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing visual perceptual trainingfor improving cognitive ability, the visual perceptual training beingperformed by a visual perceptual training device, the method comprising:outputting an instruction message informing a trainee of a rule relatedto the visual perceptual training; providing a training session for thevisual perceptual training; and storing a result in the training sessionfor evaluating the cognitive ability of the trainee, wherein theproviding of the training session includes: sequentially displayingvisual objects; checking a type of a response of the trainee;determining whether the checked response is correct according to therule including a first condition and a second condition based on anattribute of the visual object, a display order of the visual object,and the type of the checked response; and outputting a feedbackindicating that the checked response is correct, wherein the firstcondition is to provide an identification task to the trainee in thetraining session, and request, from the trainee, a first response whenthe visual object having a first attribute is displayed and a secondresponse when the visual object having a second attribute is displayed,and wherein the second condition is to provide a cognitive task togetherwith the identification task such that the training session requests acognitive load from the trainee, and when the order of the displayedvisual objects is a predetermined number, request a third response fromthe trainee, wherein the second condition have a higher priority thanthe first condition.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstresponse and the second response are a first type of a user input and asecond type of user input; and wherein the third response is absence ofthe user input.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the attributes of thevisual object include at least one of existence or absence, contrast,size, shape, color, display time, brightness, movement, rotation,pattern, and depth.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual objectis related to a Gabor patch.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thepredetermined number includes at least one of a multiple of N, a numberthat is not the multiple of N, a number whose remainder is M whendivided by N, a number whose remainder is not M when divided by N, anumber whose last digit is the multiple of N, a number whose last digitis not the multiple of N, and any one of three different numbers whoselast digit is less than 10, wherein N is a natural number greater than2, and wherein M is a natural number different from N.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the training session is provided in a background imagecomprising a virtual vehicle for navigation and a virtual road.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the first response is related to movement ofthe vehicle in a first orientation; wherein the second response isrelated to movement of the vehicle in a second orientation; and whereinthe third response is related to movement of the vehicle in a thirddirection.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the training sessionrequests an additional response related to movement of the vehicle. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein the background image includes an obstaclethat prevents the movement of the vehicle and, wherein the additionalresponse is related to steering the vehicle such that the vehicle is notto collide with the obstacle.
 10. A computer-readable recording mediumstoring a program for executing the method of providing visualperceptual training of claim 1 in combination with a computer which ishardware.
 11. A device for providing visual perceptual trainingcomprising: an output module; and a controller is configured to controlthe output module such that the output module outputs an instructionmessage informing a trainee of a rule related to visual perceptualtraining, provide a training session for the visual perceptual training,and store a result in the training session for evaluating cognitiveability of the trainee; wherein the controller is configured to, in thetraining session, control the output module such that the output modulesequentially displays visual objects; check a type of a response of thetrainee; determine whether the checked response is correct according tothe rule including a first condition and a second condition based on anattribute of the visual object, a display order of the visual object,and the type of the checked response; and output a feedback indicatingthat the checked response is correct; wherein the first condition is toprovide an identification task to the trainee in the training session,and request, from the trainee, a first response when the visual objecthaving a first attribute is displayed and a second response when thevisual object having a second attribute is displayed, wherein the secondcondition is to provide a cognitive task together with theidentification task such that the training session requests a cognitiveload from the trainee, and when the order of the displayed visualobjects is a predetermined number, request a third response from thetrainee, and wherein the second condition have a higher priority thanthe first condition.
 12. The device of claim 11, wherein the firstresponse and the second response are a first type of a user input and asecond type of the user input; and wherein the third response is theabsence of the user input,
 13. The device of claim 11, wherein theattributes of the visual object include at least one of existence orabsence, contrast, size, shape, color, display time, brightness,movement, rotation, pattern, and depth.
 14. The device of claim 11,wherein the visual object is relate to a Gabor patch.
 15. The device ofclaim 11, wherein the predetermined number includes at least one of amultiple of N, a number that is not the multiple of N, a number whoseremainder is M when divided by N, a number whose remainder is not M whendivided by N, a number whose last digit is the multiple of N, a numberwhose last digit is not the multiple of N, and any one of threedifferent numbers whose last digit is less than 10, wherein N is anatural number greater than 2, and wherein M is a natural number greaterthan N
 16. The device of claim 11, wherein the training session isprovided in a background image comprising a virtual vehicle fornavigation and a virtual road.
 17. The device of claim 16, wherein thefirst response is related to movement of the vehicle in a firstorientation; wherein the second response is related to movement of thevehicle in a second orientation; and wherein the third response isrelated to movement of the vehicle in a third direction.
 18. The deviceof claim 16, wherein the training session requests an additionalresponse related to movement of the vehicle.
 19. The device of claim 18,wherein the background image includes an obstacle that prevents themovement of the vehicle and, wherein the additional response is relatedto steering the vehicle such that the vehicle is not to collide with theobstacle.